Remodeling Update

(*Updated 5/9 with dormer and insulation pictures. Click the picture to the left to see the slideshow.)

I spent a lot of the fall and winter of '07 vetting plumbing, electric, and insulation contractors for our upstairs remodel, but still managed to get little accomplished. One of the benefits of our particular project is that all of the work is confined to the second floor, which we weren't using anyway. Therefore, our daily lives have not been overly affected, but we are also able to shut the door on it, literally, for days at a time, which can slow the process. Finally, after finishing up the walls and hemming and hawing over the various details of a tub versus a custom shower, we picked our guys and got the ball rolling again. The old iron plumbing was cut out and removed, exposing pipes almost totally blocked with gunk. The new stuff was installed and passed inspection. The electrical is mostly done, but is currently paused while we make a few carpentry changes. All of the plumbing and electrical on the second floor is now brand new.

With the old floor removed, I used the opportunity to install an exhaust fan in the first-floor bathroom. I also got a hold of some old doors from a house around the block, and even found a few sets of door knobs and plates that are the same as those used elsewhere in the house. When complete, the upstairs should be a stylistic match to the downstairs. One very exciting change to the design is the addition of a dormer in the master bedroom, which will let in more light and also increase the usable square footage. In the next month we hope to have that completed, as well as the electric and the insulation.

Mt. Washington in Winter

February 15th I went up to New Hampshire to experience some of the most extreme weather on the planet. It all started back in December, when Heidi called me at work and asked me what my blood type was. When she called back a few minutes later to ask when I had my last tetanus shot, I started getting curious. She didn't tell me, the little devil, and I was fairly certain that in the near future I was going to find myself in some strange place where I had never previously imagined myself going. Now, I can't imagine not having been there. Read More.

Kitchen Painted, Destroyed, then Painted Again

After a year and a half of saying we'd paint the kitchen, we finally did it. We also took out the old wainscoting, which was painted wood paneling, and replaced it with beadboard. The old brass drawer pulls were replaced with brushed nickel, and the ugly rubber kickboard was replaced with extra kitchen tiles.

Click the picture to the left to see the slideshow.

Turns Out the Country is Pretty Big

In October I returned from my quickly-planned trip to the western states. Read all about it and see the pictures in the Travel section.

Also, I posted a slideshow from our Italy/Croatia trip, and I also updated my South Africa movies so they load much faster.

Mysterious Stranger Fights Crime, Feels a Draft

A recent Friday night on Riverview Street started like any other. Dedham resident Heidi Hanson finished a busy week by going to bed early, with the cat at her feet and her fiancé in the kitchen, rummaging for a late-night snack. But unbeknownst to the peaceful Dedham dwellers, trouble was afoot. At approximately 11:00 PM, a strange noise from the street woke Ms. Hanson from her sleep. When she opened her front door, what she saw defied description. Some youths had gathered outside a white SUV in front of her home and appeared to be tampering with the flower bed there. But the most unusual occurrence was yet to...occur. A strange figure, dressed only in a pair of boxers, leapt out towards the hooligans and proclaimed, "Hey! What are you doing?!" Afraid for their lives, or perhaps just startled by the nearly naked man, the obviously imbecilic buffoons pealed out down the street, while the dimmest of the bunch, not yet back in the car, ran after them, crying like a little pansy boy. But before Ms. Hanson could thank the totally handsome stranger, he was gone!

Forensic investigation determined that before the youths soiled themselves with fear, they were merely trying to open their beer bottles on Ms. Hanson's stone curb, but she agreed that they still got what they deserved. At the time of this printing, the identity of the mysterious super hero remains unknown, but one thing is certain: Wherever evil lurks, and clothing is optional, Boxer Man will be there!